JPH0828021B2 - Cassette automatic changer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is mainly applied to a video tape cassette automatic changing device used in a TV broadcasting station. However, the present invention can also be used in an automatic exchange device such as an audio tape cassette.

2. Description of the Related Art A cassette automatic exchange device equipped with a robot that automatically supplies a cassette selected from a large number of cassettes stored in a cassette storage case to an information recording / reproducing device such as a VTR set is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-61646. USP3,831,197, USP3,93
It is known as 8,190.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the conventional cassette automatic exchange device handles only regular size cassettes or only small size cassettes, and cannot be used when both size cassettes are mixed. Met.

In view of the above, the present invention can be used in a state in which both sizes of cassettes are mixed, and even though both sizes of cassettes are used, data displayed by a bar code or the like on the front surface of the cassette can be used. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic cassette exchange device which can perform normal reading and can set the cassette insertion position to the information recording / reproducing device at an appropriate position.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention achieves the above object, and a cassette housing case capable of accommodating both regular size and small size cassettes and an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording / reproducing the cassettes of both sizes. And a manipulator of a cassette exchange robot for exchanging cassettes, comprising means for reading data displayed on the front surface of the cassette accommodated in each cassette accommodation portion of the cassette accommodation case and means for inserting / removing the cassette. In the automatic cassette changer described above, the space of each cassette housing portion of the cassette housing case is formed to a size suitable for housing a regular size cassette, and a small size cassette is formed to have an extra space. For both size cassettes, the front side reference in the cassette housing direction While accommodated in the cassette accommodating portion of the cassette accommodating case, characterized in that a control unit for controlling the manipulator to accommodate the cassette insertion portion of the information recording and reproducing apparatus in the insertion direction front side reference.

Effect According to the cassette automatic exchange device of the present invention, both regular size and small size cassettes can be handled in the same manner, and when used for TV broadcasting, for example, when the video tape cassette is made, there is no constraint on the cassette size. It's gone, so it's very convenient.

Further, since both sizes of cassettes are accommodated in the cassette accommodating portion of the cassette accommodating case with reference to the front side, the distance between the data displayed on the front surface of the cassette and the data reading means of the manipulator can be easily set to a predetermined distance. It is accurate and easy to read.

Further, since both size cassettes are housed in the cassette insertion portion of the information recording / reproducing apparatus on the rear side basis, the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the conventional standard can be used as it is and an accurate reproducing operation is guaranteed.

Embodiment The illustrated embodiment relates to a device for automatically changing a video tape cassette.

FIG. 19, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show an overall view of the automatic cassette changer in which the basic unit 1, the first expansion unit 2 and the second expansion unit 3 are connected. The basic unit 1 alone has all the functions necessary for automatic cassette exchange, but has a problem in that the number of cassettes that can be accommodated is limited. The first expansion unit 2 and the second expansion unit 3 are connected in order to increase the number of cassettes accommodated, but only the first expansion unit 2 is connected to the basic unit 1 depending on the size of the number of cassettes accommodated. In some cases, the third, fourth, ... Expansion units may be additionally connected.

The basic unit 1 includes a fixed unit cassette housing case 6, a VTR set (information recording / reproducing device) 7, a control box 8 and a cassette exchange robot (main robot) in a basic unit box 5 having a protective glass 4 that can be opened and closed on the front surface. ) 9 is arranged.

The basic unit box 5 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
The front space is the robot movement space 10. In the robot moving space 10, the main robot 9 is arranged so as to be movable in the X direction (horizontal direction) and the Y direction (vertical direction).

On the right side of the basic unit box 5, there is a VTR set 7 consisting of a plurality of decks 7a, 7b, ...
It is arranged so as to face 10. The one shown in the figure consists of 5 decks, usually 4 decks 7a, ...
7d is used and the bottom deck 7e is provided as a backup.

From the left side portion to the central portion of the basic unit box 5, a stationary cassette housing case 6 is arranged so as to face the robot moving space 10. The stationary cassette housing case 6 is provided with a large number of cassette housing parts 13 partitioned in a matrix in the XY direction, and each cassette housing part 13 houses a cassette 12 containing a video tape. There is. In the illustrated case, three rack cases 21 each having a plurality of shelves formed in the vertical direction are arranged in parallel to form a stationary cassette housing case 6. The opening (cassette entrance / exit) 14 of each cassette housing 13 is open to the robot movement space 10.

The depth of the stationary cassette housing case 6 may be set so that the cassette 12 can be housed therein.
It is much smaller than the depth of. Therefore, a large empty space is formed at the back of the stationary cassette housing case 6, and the control box 8 is arranged by utilizing this empty space.

Both the first expansion unit 2 and the second expansion unit 3 are provided in the expansion unit boxes 15a and 15b provided with protective glasses 4a and 4b that can be opened and closed on the front surface, and a rotatable cassette housing case 16 is provided.
It is configured by arranging a and 16b.

The expansion unit boxes 15a and 15b are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having the same height and the same depth as the basic unit box 5, but the lateral width thereof is slightly smaller than that of the basic unit box 5. And box for expansion unit 15
Front spaces of a and 15b are robot moving spaces 10a and 10b, and a cassette exchange robot (sub robot) 17 is also arranged in the robot moving spaces 10a and 10b so as to be movable in the XY directions. .

The rotatable cassette housing cases 16a and 16b are arranged so as to occupy most of the internal space of the expansion unit boxes 15a and 15b excluding the robot movement space, and are configured to horizontally rotate about a vertical axis. There is. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotatable cassette housing cases 16a and 16b are provided with eight rack cases 19 each having a plurality of shelves formed in the vertical direction on the side peripheral surface of a drum-shaped base 18. And is formed into an octagonal column as a whole. The first expansion unit 2 is installed in a large number of cassette housing units 20 that are thus partitioned by shelves.
Each of the second expansion unit 3 and the second expansion unit 3 can accommodate about 8/3 times as many cassettes 12 as the number of cassettes 12 accommodated in the cassette accommodation portion 13 of the basic unit 1, and only the basic unit 1 can be accommodated. Compared with the case, the number of cassettes accommodated can be dramatically increased.

The base body 18 is rotatably supported at its upper and lower ends by bearings 22 and 23. The rotatable cassette housing case 16
The case drive motor 27 that drives a and 16b is
4. Connected to the large gear 26 of the base 18 via the reduction gear 25. The case drive motor 27 is rotated under the control of the control box 8 so that one selected rack case 19 of the rotatable cassette housing cases 16a, 16b faces the robot moving spaces 10a, 10b. Has been done. Then, only the opening portion (cassette entrance / exit) 28 of the cassette housing portion 20 in the rack case 19 selected as described above is opened to the robot moving spaces 10b and 10c.

The basic unit 1, the first expansion unit 2 and the second expansion unit 3 are connected in the left-right direction as shown in the figure, and the respective robot movement spaces 10, 10a, 10b are in communication with each other. When the basic unit 1 is used alone, the left side plate covers the entire left side surface of the basic unit 1, but when connecting as described above, the part covering the left side surface of the robot moving space 10 is removed. Be seen.

Two cassette exchange robots, that is, a main robot 9 and a sub robot 17 are arranged in the connected robot movement spaces 10, 10a, 10b so as to be movable in the XY directions. As shown in FIG. 3, these robots 9 and 17 are equipped with a columnar body portion 29 that moves in the X direction and manipulators 31a, 31b, and 31c that move in the Y direction along the body portion 29. The main robot 9 includes a pair of manipulators 31a and 31b that are stacked one above the other, and the sub robot 17
Has a single manipulator 31c, and there is a difference between the two robots 9 and 17, but the other configurations are basically the same.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the columnar body portion 29 has an upper guide rail 3 at its upper end 29t and lower end 29d.
2, 32a, 32b and the lower guide rails 33, 33a, 33b move in the X direction. The upper guide rails 32, 32a, and 32b are separately attached to the box top surfaces 34 of the units 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
When is connected, they are connected in a straight line. The lower guide rails 33, 33a, 33b are also for each unit 1, 2,
3 are provided separately on the bottom surfaces 35 of the respective boxes 3, and are connected in a straight line when these units 1, 2 and 3 are connected. The upper guide rails 32, 32a, 32b have only the function of restricting the movement of the body portion 29 in the front-rear direction, but the lower guide rails 33,
33a and 33b have the function of restricting the movement of the body portion 29 in the front-rear direction and supporting the load thereof. The main robot 9 and the sub robot 17 share the upper and lower guide rails.

The main robot drive motor 36 is arranged on the bottom surface 35 of the box of the basic unit 1, and the rotation of the main robot is stretched in parallel with the lower guide rails 33, 33a, 33b via a pulley 37 or the like.
When transmitted to the timing belt 38, the pulley 3
7. It is transmitted to the second timing belt 40 stretched in parallel with the upper guide rails 32, 32a, 32b via the transmission timing belt 39 stretched in the vertical direction. Both the first timing belt 38 and the second timing belt 40 are stretched from the right end of the basic unit 1 to the left end of the second expansion unit 3. Then, the lower end 29d of the body portion 29 of the main robot 9 is fixed to the first timing belt 38 by using the fitting 41, and the upper end 29t of the body portion 29 is fixed to the second timing belt 40 by using the fitting 42. The body part 29 of the main robot 9 is configured to move in the X direction by the rotation of the main robot drive motor 36.

A sub-robot driving motor 43 is arranged on the bottom surface 35 of the box of the second expansion unit 3, and its rotation is parallel to the lower guiderels 33, 33a, 33b via the pulley 44 and adjacent to the first timing belt 38. The second timing belt 40 is transmitted to the stretched third timing belt 45 and is parallel to the upper guide rails 32, 32a, 32b via the pulley 44, the transmission timing belt 46 stretched in the vertical direction, and the like. Is transmitted to the fourth timing belt 47 stretched so as to be adjacent to. Third timing belt 45 and fourth
Both timing belts 47 are stretched from the left end of the second expansion unit 3 to the right end of the basic unit 1.
The lower end 29d of the body portion 29 of the sub robot 17 is attached to the third timing belt 45 by using the attachment 48, and the upper end portion of the body portion 29 is attached to the fourth timing belt 47 using the attachment 49.
29t are fixed to each other, and the body portion 29 of the sub robot 17 is moved in the X direction by the rotation of the sub robot drive motor 43.

The manipulators 31a and 31b of the main tobot 9 and the manipulator 31c of the sub robot 17 are both driven in the Y direction by the lifting timing belts 50 and 50c. The lifting timing belts 50 and 50c are the upper end portion 2 of the body portion 29.
It is stretched between 9t and the lower end 29d, and is rotationally driven by lifting drive motors 51, 51c arranged at the lower end 29d. The pair of upper and lower manipulators 31a and 31b of the main robot 9 are configured to move in the Y direction while maintaining an integral relationship, and are attached to the timing belt 50 using an attachment (not shown). Similarly, the manipulator 31c of the sub robot 17 is also attached to the timing belt 50c (not shown).
Is installed using. Incidentally, in FIG. 3, 52, 52
Reference numeral c is a flexible cord that sends electric power to the main robot 9 and the sub robot 17, and sends and receives signals.

FIG. 5 shows manipulators 31a and 31b of the main robot 9.
The concrete structure of is shown. Lower manipulator 31b
Has the same structure as the upper manipulator 31b, and since the manipulator 31c of the sub robot 17 also has the same structure as the upper manipulator 31a,
Only the upper manipulator 31a will be described, and other description will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 8, a chuck base 54 is guided and supported on the base 53 of the manipulator 31a so as to be movable back and forth. The chuck base 54 is a chuck base drive motor. It is driven in the front-rear direction by a timing belt 56 that rotates by 55. Reference numeral 57 is a fixture for connecting the chuck base 54 to the timing belt 56.

On the chuck base 54, a pair of upper and lower chuck arms 58 and 59 for detachably holding the cassette 12 are arranged.
A chuck claw 58a is provided substantially at the center in the left-right direction of the tip of the upper chuck arm 58, and a pair of chuck claws 59a, 59a are provided on the left and right of the tip of the lower chuck arm 59.
The end of the cassette 12 is configured to be held at three points. The pair of upper and lower chuck arms 58 and 59 are pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 60 at their base ends, and are vertically opened and closed by the rotation of a cam 62 with which cam followers 63 and 64 provided on the respective arms abut. Has become. The rotation of the chuck opening / closing drive motor 61 that drives the cam 62 is transmitted to the cam 62 via the speed reducer 65, the gear train, and 66.

A bar code reader 67 is attached to the chuck base 54 so as to move back and forth integrally with the chuck base 54. The bar code reader 67 has a built-in CCD line sensor 70 that reads the bar code 69 displayed on the front surface 68 of the cassette 12 without scanning.

Information such as a classification number registered in the database is displayed on the barcode 69. Bar code reader
67 has an LED 71 for illuminating the barcode 69.

The stationary cassette housing case 6 or the compartment of the basic unit 1 is a cassette change portion 72 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 9. In the example shown in the figure, the upper left side of the stationary cassette storage case 6 is used as the cassette change section 72,
The cassette 12 can be exchanged between the outside and the stationary cassette housing case 6 at any time. When the cassette 12 is exchanged with the outside, the cassette change portion 72 is automatically advanced as shown in FIG. 9 and a glass slide door separately provided on the protective glass 4 is provided. The 73 is configured to open automatically.

FIG. 10 shows in detail the movable rack case 74 and the cassette change section 72 including a mechanism for driving the movable rack case forward and backward. A spacer 75 is interposed between the cassette accommodating portions 13 of the movable rack case 74 so that a finger can be easily inserted to insert and remove the cassette 12. As described above, in the movable rack case 74, the vertical pitch of the cassette accommodating portions 13 is set to be large so that the cassette 12 can be manually inserted and removed.
3 and 21, since the cassette 12 is inserted and removed with respect to the manipulators 31a, 31b, 31 only, the vertical pitch thereof can be minimized, and the number of cassettes accommodated can be maximized. it can.

-Shaped rack case support 76 is a pair of upper and lower guide rails
The movable rack case 74 is attached to the front end of the movable rack case 74 by being guided by 77 and 78. The rotation of the rack case drive motor 79 is transmitted through the speed reducer 80 to the timing belt 81.
Is transmitted to the rack case supporter 76, and thereby the movable rack case 74 is moved back and forth. 82 is a timing belt 81 and a rack case support
It is a fixture that connects with 76.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the sliding door 73 is guided by a pair of upper and lower guide rails 85 and 86, both ends of which are supported by a frame portion 83 of the protective glass 4 via swinging fittings 84. To open and close. Drive sprocket 8 on upper guide rail 85
7, a driven sprocket 88 and a timing belt 89 suspended by these are arranged, and the timing belt 89 and the slide door 73 are connected by a fixture 90. The door drive motor 91 that drives the timing belt 89,
It is provided on a motor bracket 93 pivotally attached to the body of the basic unit box 5 through a pivot pin 92, and its output gear 94 and the input sprocket 87 coaxial with the drive sprocket 87 mesh with each other. There is.

The guide rails 8 are provided on the upper and lower edges of the sliding door 73.
A guide roller 96 which is guided by 5 and 86 to roll is provided, and a cam follower 97 is provided at the right end portion of the upper edge. The cam follower 97 rolls while contacting a cam plate 98 fixed to the back surface of the protective glass 4. This cam plate 98 is
When the slide door 73 is closed, the surface of the slide door 73 and the surface of the protective glass 4 are flush with each other, and when the slide door 73 is opened,
The sliding door 73 is housed on the back surface of the protective glass 4. That is, when the slide door 73 is opened to the right, the action of the cam plate 98 causes the slide door 73 to move.
Is guided to the rear side, and the upper and lower guide rails 85,
86 also moves backward, and the motor bracket 93 also rotates backward.

The entire protective glass 4 can be opened forward with the axis indicated by P in FIG. 12 as the center of rotation, at which time the output gear 94 and the input gear 95 disengage. By disposing the door drive motor 91 on the main body side of the basic unit box 5, the opening / closing movement of the protective glass 4 becomes light.

The rack unitary body 99 of each of the cassette accommodating portions 13 and 20 of the stationary cassette accommodating case 6 and the rotary cassette accommodating cases 16a and 16b is basically constructed as shown in FIG. This rack unit 99 has a bottom plate 100, both side plates 101,
A synthetic resin product in which a back plate 102 and a back plate 102 are integrally formed, and the front surface and the top surface are open. As shown in FIG. 14, the rack unit bodies 99 are stacked to form the rack cases 21 and 19, and the bottom plate 100 serves as a partition plate for the cassette housing portions 13 and 20. The open front opening of the single rack unit 99 serves as the cassette inlet / outlet ports 14 and 28 of the cassette housing units 13 and 20, respectively.

A notch 103 is provided at the front end of the bottom plate 100 so that the manipulators 31a, 31b, 31c and fingers can hold the cassette 12 without trouble. Both side plates
Positioning leaf springs 104, 104 are provided on the inner surface side front portions of 101, 101. Further, a ridge 105 extending in the front-rear direction is integrally formed at a portion slightly left of the center of the bottom plate 100.

Internal space of single rack 99, that is, cassette housing
The spaces 13 and 20 are formed to have a size suitable for accommodating the regular size cassette 12R (12) as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, this cassette 12R has the bar code 69 displayed on the front surface 68, and has notches 106 and 106 on both side surfaces for engaging with the positioning leaf springs 104 and 104. Further, the bottom surface is provided with a guide groove 107 that fits into the protrusion 105. Thus, as shown in FIG. 17, the regular-sized cassette 12R is constrained from lateral movement by the side plates 101, 101 and the ridge 105, and is positioned in the front-rear direction by the positioning leaf springs 104, 104. Are accommodated in the cassette accommodating portions 13 and 20. At this time, the front surface 68 of the regular-sized cassette 12R is substantially at the same position as the front end surface of the rack single body 99, and this position is the cassette accommodation reference position. The positioning leaf springs 104, 104 are the cassette 12
The protrusion 105 also functions to prevent the R from falling off, and also to prevent the cassette 12R from being housed in the cassette housing portions 13 and 20 by being combined with the guide groove 107. Operate (Small size cassette 12S described below)
Also has the same effect on. ).

The cassette housing portions 13 and 20 can also house a small-sized cassette 12S (12). This cassette 12S (12) has a front surface 68 as shown in FIGS. 16 and 18.
The bar code 69 is displayed on the left side of the bar code, and the left side face has a notch 108 that engages with the positioning leaf spring 104, and the bottom face includes a guide groove 200 that engages with the protrusion 105. . Thus, the small size cassette 12S is the first
As shown in FIG. 8, left and right movements are restrained by the left side plate 101 and the ridges 105 of the rack unitary body 99, and the positioning leaf springs 104 perform forward and backward positioning, and the cassette accommodating portions 13, 20 It is accommodated with an extra space left. The notch 108 is a regular size cassette 12R
And the front surface of the small size cassette 12S is also set at the same position as the cassette accommodation reference position.

As described above, the cassettes 12R and 12S of both sizes are set to the reference positions L and F on the left side and the front side in the cassette accommodation direction as shown in FIG. Since they are housed in the parts 13 and 20, the barcodes 69 of the cassettes 12R and 12S of both sizes are located at the same position. On the other hand, the cassette doorway 11 of the VTR set 7
In the cassette insertion portion 109 which is formed following the above and serves as a cassette housing holding space for reproducing the cassette, as shown in FIG. 1, the cassettes 12R and 12S of both sizes are located on the left side of the VTR set 7 and the cassette 12R, The front side of the 12S in the insertion direction is set and stored at the reference positions l and r.

FIG. 20 is a control block diagram of the automatic video tape cassette changing system.

Database at Operation Station 110,
A program program, an editing program, a staggered broadcast program, etc. are input, and these are displayed on the display section. In addition, data is printed on the printer 111 and the bar code label is printed on the label printer 112.
Created by. Also operation station 11
0 is another operation station 110 in a remote area
It is connected to a, 110b ... through a network.

The operation station 110 transmits / receives signals to / from the sequence controller 113. The sequence controller 113 outputs an operation command signal to various devices in accordance with the program and in synchronization with the time information of the time code regulator 114.

The sequence controller 113 includes a video switching device (switcher) 115, a character generator 116, and
The video recorders 7a, 7b, ... 7e of the VTR set 7 and the robot controller 8a housed in the controller box 8 are connected to control them sequentially.

As shown in FIG. 21, the robot controller 8a includes a memory board 125, a motor control board 117, an I / O board 118, a communication board 119, a key control board 120, and a CP which connects these via a bus 121.
It has a U board 122. The key control board
An operation panel 123 is connected to 120, and the barcode reader 67 is connected to the communication board 119.

Robot controller 8a is a motor control board
Various motor drivers 1 via 117 and I / O board 118
24, VTR status display 126, operation panel 127, and manual operation box 128 are connected to control these and input signals from them.

The various motor drivers 124 control the rotations of various motors shown below.

○ Main robot drive motor 36: Moves and positions the main robot 9 in the X direction.

○ Main robot up-and-down drive motor 51 …… Move and position the main robot 9 in the Y direction.

○ Sub robot drive motor 43 …… Move and position the sub robot 17 in the X direction.

○ Lifting / lowering drive motor 51c for the sub robot ………… Sub robot 1
Move and position 7 in the Y direction.

○ Case drive motor I27a: Rotation of the rotation type cassette storage case 16a of the first expansion unit 2 and positioning of the rotation angle θ.

○ Case drive motor II27b: Rotation of the rotation type cassette housing case 16b of the second expansion unit 3 and positioning of the rotation angle θ.

○ Chuck base drive motor 55 …… Each manipulator 31
Forward movement and positioning of a, 31b, 31c.

○ Chuck opening / closing drive motor 61 …… Each manipulator 31
Opening / closing movement of chucks a, 31b, 31c.

○ Rack case drive motor 79 …… Cassette change part 72
Back and forth movement of (movable rack case 74) and positioning.

○ Door drive motor 91 …… Opens and closes the slide door 73 in front of the cassette change unit 72.

Of the motors, both robot drive motors 36, 43, both lift drive motors 51, 51c, both case drive motors 27a, 27b are provided with encoders 36e, 43e, 51e, 51f, 27e, 27f, respectively, to determine the rotational position of the motor itself. It can be detected. A position sensor for detecting the position of a driven body driven by a motor other than the door driving motor 91 is arranged at a predetermined position corresponding to the motor. That is, the position in the X direction of the main robot 9 is detected by the position sensors 36p, 36q, 36r, 36s, 36t, 36u, and the position in the Y direction is detected by the position sensors 51, 51q, 51r. Similarly, the position of the sub robot 17 in the X direction is detected by the position sensors 43p, 43q, 43r, 43s, 43t, 43u, and the position in the Y direction is the position sensor 51.
detected by s, 51t, 51u. The positions of the first expansion unit 2 and the second expansion unit 3 in the θ direction are detected by position sensors 27p, 27q, 27r, 27s, 27t, 27u and position sensors 27v, 27w, 27x, 27y, 27z, 27n, respectively. . The positions of the manipulators 31a, 31b, 31c in the back-and-forth movement are detected by the position sensors 55p, 55q, and the positions of the opening / closing movements thereof are detected by the position sensors 61p, 61q, respectively. Further, the position of the back and forth movement of the movable rack case 74 is detected by the position sensors 79p, 79q, 79r, 79s. The opening / closing operation of the slide door 73 is under the control of the robot controller 8a, and the opening / closing operation is performed by manually pressing the open switch 91p or the close switch 91q.

Next, the normal cassette automatic exchange operation of the main robot 9 and the sub robot 17 controlled by the control means having the above-mentioned configuration will be described.

The main robot 9 normally reciprocates between the stationary cassette housing case 6 and the VTR set 7, and performs cassette exchange work while the pair of upper and lower manipulators 31a and 31b share the work. As shown in FIG. 22, in the first step, the main robot 9 moves in the XY directions in order to take out the cassette 12 to be used next from the selected cassette housing portion 13 of the stationary cassette housing case 6. The lower manipulator 31b is positioned so as to face the cassette housing portion 13. And the lower manipulator
The chuck arms 58 and 59 of 31b grip and take out the cassette 12 to be used next arranged in the cassette housing portion 13 by a series of operations. Next, in the second stage, the main robot 9 moves in the X-Y direction to load the cassette 12
Transport to VTR set 7.

At the next third stage, as shown in FIG. 23 (1), the main robot 9 is moved to the upper manipulator 31a.
VCRs containing used cassettes 12 (eg
The position in the XY direction is determined so as to face the cassette insertion portion 109 of 7a). Then the upper manipulator 31a
The chuck arms 58 and 59 move forward and backward to open and close to grip the cassette 12 and retract in that state to take out the cassette 12 from the cassette insertion portion 109 (FIGS. 23 (2) (3)). .

In the fourth stage, the main robot 9 inserts the cassette 12 held by the manipulator 31b on the lower side thereof into the video deck 7a, so that the main robot 9 moves slightly upward so that the manipulator 31b faces the cassette insertion portion 109. (Fig. 23 (4)). And the lower manipulator 31b
Chuck arms 58 and 59 move forward to insert the cassette 12 into the cassette insertion portion 109 at a predetermined position and then open, and then only the chuck arms 58 and 59 move backward (FIG. 23 (5)).
(6)).

After the cassette exchange of the VTR set 7 is completed as described above, in the fifth stage, the main robot 9 moves to XY
Moving in the direction, the used cassette 12 is conveyed to the selected cassette housing portion 13 of the stationary cassette housing case 6.

In the sixth stage, the main robot 9 has the manipulator 31a on the upper side thereof in the selected cassette housing portion 13
The position in the X-Y direction is determined so as to face. Then, the chuck arms 58, 59 of the upper manipulator 31a
Returns the cassette 12 to the cassette housing portion 13 by a series of operations, and then retracts to the original position. Next, the main robot 9 moves in the XY directions and returns to the first stage. Since it is advantageous to make the moving distance of the main robot 9 at the time of shifting from the sixth stage to the first stage as short as possible, the cassette accommodating portion 13 having the empty space in which the cassette 12 is returned in the sixth stage is The one that is located as close as possible to the cassette housing 13 from which the cassette 12 is taken out in the first stage is selected.

As described above, the manipulator 31a on the upper side of the main robot 9 takes out the cassette 12 from the VTR set 7,
The manipulator 31b on the lower side plays a role of returning the cassette 12 to the stationary cassette housing case 6, and the role of inserting the cassette 12 from the stationary cassette housing case 6 and inserting it into the VTR set 7. As a result, the cassette exchange work in each of the stationary cassette housing case 6 of the main robot 9 and the VTR set 7 can be continuously performed, and the cassette exchange time can be shortened. The upper manipulator 31a and the lower manipulator 3
It is also possible to reverse the role division of 1b.

The sub-robot 17 is a normally rotatable set storage case 16
The cassette replacement work is performed by reciprocating between a and 16b and a specific cassette housing portion (hereinafter, referred to as an intermediate station) 13m and 13n of the stationary cassette housing case 6. As shown in FIG. 9, the intermediate station is located at the left end of the stationary cassette housing case 6, that is, the rotatable cassette housing case 16.
It is provided on the side closest to a and 16b, and is composed of an out intermediate station 13m and an in intermediate station 13n.

The sub robot 17 has a structure having a single manipulator 31c, and operates as shown on the left side in FIG.
In the first stage ', the cassette 12 to be used next is taken out from the selected cassette housing portion 20 of the rotatable cassette housing cases 16a and 16b. At this time, by the time the sub-robot 17 reaches a predetermined position in the XY direction, the rotary cassette accommodating cases 16a, 16b are rotated to a predetermined rotary position and the θ position thereof is determined. In the first stage ', as described above,
Cassette storage unit 20 specified by three coordinates of X, Y, and θ
Then, the cassette 12 is taken out. Second then
In stage ', the cassette 12 is conveyed toward the out intermediate station 13m.

In the third stage ', the cassette 12 is inserted into the OUT intermediate station 13m, then in the fourth stage', the cassette 12 of the IN intermediate station 13n is taken out, and in the fifth stage ', the cassette 12 is a rotatable cassette housing case. 16
The sheet is conveyed to the selected cassette housing portion 20 of a or 16b. In the next sixth step ', the cassette 12 is placed in the specific cassette housing portion 20 in which the X, Y, and θ positioning has been performed.
Will be inserted and returned.

The operation of the sub robot 17 as described above is performed only when it is necessary to insert the cassette 12 housed in the rotary cassette housing cases 16a and 16b into the VTR set 7. In this case, as shown in the right side of FIG. 24, the main robot 9
Sub Tobot 17 by Out for Intermediate Station 13
Take out the cassette 12 carried to m and insert it into the VTR set 7 (Fig. 24 →), as well as the used cassette 12
Is taken out from the VTR set 7 and returned to the IN intermediate station 13n (Fig. 24 →). Then, the cassette 12 returned to the IN intermediate station 13n is taken out by the sub-robot 17 as described above, and then returned to the rotatable cassette housing cases 16a and 16b.

As described above, the cassette exchange between the rotatable cassette housing cases 16a and 16b and the VTR set 7 in the normal state is performed by the second
As shown in Fig. 4, ′ → ′ → ′ →→→→
, And →→→→ '→' → '.

Next, a description will be given of the compensation function of one robot provided in the cassette automatic exchange device of the present embodiment for the other robot when the main robot 9 or the sub robot 17 does not function normally.

When the main robot 9 does not have a normal function, for example, the main robot 9 has a poor movement in the XY directions.
There are positioning errors in the X and Y directions of the main robot 9, a chuck function failure, a bar code reader 67 failure, and the like.
These are various encoders 36e, 57e, various position sensors 36p, 51p, 55p, 61p, ... and various motors 36, 51, 5
The presence or absence of abnormality is detected by the robot controller 8a, which is detected by the overcurrent detectors 5 and 61. Even if the sub-robot 17 does not have a normal function, the same case is conceivable, and the robot controller 8a similarly determines it.

When the control means determines that the main robot 9 does not have a normal function (see FIG. 26 for details), the main robot 9 is retracted to the right end of the robot moving space 10 and the operation range of the sub robot 17 is reduced. The robot movement space 10, 10a, 10b is expanded, and as shown in FIG. 25, the sub-robot 17 alone is allowed to automatically perform cassette exchange in all areas.

That is, first, in the first stage, the sub-robot 17 takes out the used cassette 12 from the selected cassette insertion portion 109 of the VTR set 7, and in the second stage, it selects all the cassette storage portions 16, 16a, 16b. It is transported to the cassette storage units 13 and 20 with empty space, and the set 12 is transferred at the third stage.
Is inserted into the cassette housing portions 13 and 20 and returned. Next, in the fourth stage, the sub robot 17 uses the cassette to be used next.
After the cassette 12 is moved to the cassette accommodating portions 13 and 20 in which it is accommodated and the cassette 12 is taken out, it is moved toward the cassette inserting portion 109 in the fifth step. In the next sixth step, the cassette 12 is inserted into the cassette insertion portion 109 to complete a series of operations.

As described above, when the main robot 9 has an abnormality, all the cassettes are automatically replaced by only the sub robot 17 having only a single manipulator 31c. Therefore, after removing the used cassette 12 from the VTR set 7, Cassette
It takes a relatively long time for the sub robot 17 to make one round trip between the VTR set 7 and the cassette housing case 6, 16a, 16b before the insertion of the 12, and the main robot has a problem. Even in the case of an emergency situation in which an abnormality occurs in 9, the automatic cassette exchange can be continued without stopping the device.

When the control means determines that the sub robot 17 does not have a normal function, the sub robot 17 is retracted to the left end of the robot movement space 10b and the main robot 9
Expand the movement range of all robot movement spaces 10, 10a, 10b,
The main robot 9 alone causes automatic cassette exchange in all areas. The operation of the main robot 9 at this time is basically the same as that shown in FIG. 22, but its movement range is limited to the robot movement spaces 10a and 10b of the first extension unit 2 and the second extension unit 3. The only difference is that it is expanded, as shown in FIG. In this way, even if an abnormality occurs in the sub robot 17, the cassette automatic replacement can be continued without stopping the apparatus.

Next, the compensation function of the automatic cassette changer of this embodiment when one of the pair of upper and lower manipulators 31a and 31b of the main robot 9 does not function normally will be described. The cases where the manipulators 31a and 31b do not function normally include defective chucking functions and defective bar code detection functions. More specifically, defective back-and-forth movement of the chuck base 54 due to a defective chuck base drive motor 55, and defective opening / closing movement of the chuck arms 58 and 59 due to a defective chuck opening / closing drive motor 61 are exemplified as defective chuck functions. It Further, a defect in the mounting position of the barcode reader 67 or a built-in component is exemplified as a defect in the barcode detection function.

These are detected by various position sensors 55p, 61p, ... and overcurrent detectors of various motors 55, 61.
The robot controller 8a determines whether there is any abnormality.

When the control means determines that one manipulator (for example, the upper manipulator) 31a is not normal, the other manipulator (for example, the lower manipulator) 31b is controlled to perform the cassette automatic exchange independently. Therefore, the main robot 9 is usually controlled to perform the operation shown in FIG. 22, but if it is determined that the upper manipulator 31a is not normal, it is not used and only the lower manipulator 31b is used. While being used, the locus of movement of the main robot 9 should be the same as the locus of movement of the sub robot 17 shown in FIG. 25 (however, the movement range of the main robot 9 is basically within the robot movement space 10 of the basic unit 1). Limited).

The flowchart of FIG. 26 shows in more detail the control procedure relating to the mutual compensation between the main robot 9 and the sub robot 17 and the mutual compensation between the manipulators 31a and 31b in the main robot 9.

In step # 1, it is determined whether or not the main robot 9 is normal, and in step # 2, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to replace the cassette between the expansion units 2 and 3 and the VTR set 7, and then step # 3. Then, it is determined whether the sub robot 17 is normal. If the main robot 9 and the sub robot 17 are normal and it is necessary to replace the cassettes of the extension units 2 and 3, the cooperative operation of both robots 9 and 17 described in step # 4 is performed. Also the main robot 9
Is normal but the cassette replacement of the expansion units 2 and 3 is not necessary or the sub robot 17 is not normal, the independent operation of the main robot 9 already described in step # 5 is performed.

If the main robot 9 is determined not to be normal in step # 1, the cause is further analyzed in steps # 6, # 7 and # 8. Upper manipulator (upper chuck) 31a and lower manipulator (lower chuck) 31b
If both are normal and the X-Y movement of the main robot 9 is not normal, it is judged in step # 9 whether the sub robot 17 is normal. If the sub robot 17 is normal, it is step # 10. The sub-robot 17 described above is independently operated. It is determined in step # 9 that the sub robot 17 is not normal, or the main robot 9 is in steps # 6, # 7,
When it is determined that the device is out of order due to a cause other than the cause determined in # 8, the process proceeds to step # 11, and the entire apparatus stops.

One of the manipulators 31a and 31b in steps # 6 and # 7
Is determined to be abnormal, and it is determined in step # 12 that the cassette replacement of the expansion units 2 and 3 is unnecessary, the main robot 9 is operated independently by the other manipulators 31b and 31a in step # 14. The cassette is replaced. If it is determined in step # 12 that the cassettes of the expansion units 2 and 3 need to be replaced, and if it is determined in step # 13 that the sub robot 17 is normal, only one of the manipulators 31a and 31b is determined in step # 15. The main robot 9 and the sub-robot 17 are used for cooperative operation using.

FIG. 27 shows a flowchart of the cooperative operation of both robots in step # 4. The basic robot coordinated operation has already been described with reference to FIG. 24, but a supplementary explanation will be given with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The main robot 9 performs the operations shown in steps # 20 to # 29, determines whether or not there is a cassette replacement request in step # 20, and if there is no request, moves to the standby position (step # 28) and then replaces the cassette. Wait for the request. When there is a cassette exchange request, in the next step # 21, the sub robot 17 transfers the cassette 12 to the OUT intermediate station 13m.
It is determined whether or not the cassette 12 has been accommodated, and the completion of the accommodation of the cassette 12 is waited for. At the next step # 23, it is determined whether or not the cassette is accommodated in the predetermined cassette insertion portion 109 of the VTR set 7. If the cassette 12 is not accommodated, the process proceeds to step # 29, after the cassette 12 is inserted into the VTR set 7. Return immediately. When the cassette 12 is accommodated in the predetermined cassette insertion portion 109 of the VTR set 7 in step # 23, the cassette 12 is exchanged with the VTR set 7 in steps # 24 and # 25. Then step #
At 26, it is determined whether the sub robot 17 has taken out the cassette 12 from the IN intermediate station 13n, waits for the cassette 12 to be completely taken out, and at step # 27, returns the cassette 12 to the IN intermediate station 13n and returns. To do.

On the other hand, the sub robot 17 has steps # 30 to # 37.
If it is determined in step # 30 that there is no cassette replacement request, the operation jumps to step # 34. When there is a cassette replacement request, the rotary cassette housing case 16 is operated by a series of operations from step # 31 to step # 33.
The cassette 12 is taken out from a and 16b, conveyed to the out intermediate station 13m, and inserted therein. Step # 3
In 2, the movement of the main robot 9 is monitored.

In step # 34, it is determined whether or not the main robot 9 has returned the cassette 12 to the IN intermediate station 13n. If not, in step # 37,
The sub robot 17 moves to the standby position and then returns. If the cassette 12 is not returned, in steps # 35 and # 36, the cassette 12 is taken out from the in-intermediate station 13n, and the cassette 12 is rotated.
Return to 16a, 16b.

FIG. 28 is a flow chart showing the independent operation of the main robot in step # 5. This has already been explained based on FIG. 22 (only the operation in the basic unit 1 is shown in FIG. 22, but it may be the whole area operation). A supplementary explanation will be given with reference to the flowchart.

Steps # 40, # 42, # 43, and # 44 are as described with reference to FIG. In step # 41, it is determined whether or not the cassette 12 is accommodated in the predetermined cassette insertion portion 109 of the VTR set 7. If not, the process proceeds to step # 45 to transfer the cassette 12 to the VTR set 7. Return immediately after inserting.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing the independent operation of the sub robot in step # 10. This has already been explained based on FIG. 25, but a supplementary explanation will be given by the flow chart of FIG. 29 (step # 15 above).
The same applies to the independent operation of the main robot using only one of the manipulators 31a and 31b. ) Steps # 51 to # 54 are as described with reference to FIG. At step # 50, it is determined whether or not the cassette 12 is accommodated in the predetermined cassette insertion portion 109 of the VTR set 7. If not, the process jumps to step # 53 to immediately remove the cassette from the cassette accommodation case. Move to the action of taking 12.

Next, based on FIG. 30 and FIG. 31, the manipulator 31
The control of the inserting / removing operation of the cassette 12 with respect to the VTR set 7 by a, 31b, and 31c will be described. As already mentioned,
Both the regular-sized cassette 12R and the small-sized cassette 12S are accommodated in the cassette insertion portion 109 of the VTR set 7 so that the rear side reference r is set (FIG. 1).
Therefore, the front positions of the cassettes 12R and 12s of both sizes are different as shown in (R3) and (S4) of FIG. 30, and the front wall 129 of the cassette insertion section 109 and the chuck arm claws 58a and 5s are different.
Regarding the prevention of interference with 9a, the consideration required for this is also different.

(R1) to (R3) of FIG. 30 show a procedure for inserting the regular-sized cassette 12R into the cassette insertion portion 109. That is, first, a pair of upper and lower chuck arm claws 58
Insert the cassette 12R between a and 59a to the intermediate position (R1), and at that position open the chuck arm claws 58a and 59a slightly to release the grip (R2), then chuck arm claw 58
Press the protrusions 58b and 59b of a and 59a to push the cassette 12R.
To the final position (R3).

On the other hand, FIGS. 30 (S1) to (S4) show a procedure for inserting the small-sized cassette 12S into the cassette insertion portion 109. That is, first, the cassette 12S is grasped by a pair of upper and lower chuck arm claws 58a and 59a, and is inserted to an intermediate position (S1).
9a is completely opened to release the clamp and retract (S2), and then the entire manipulators 31a, 31b, 31c are slightly moved upward so that the lower chuck arm claw 59a faces the front surface of the cassette 12S ( S3), then the lower chuck arm claw
Insert the cassette 12S to the final position by pushing the cassette 12S with the tip of 59a (S4).

31 (R1) and (R2) show a procedure for taking out the regular-sized cassette 12R from the cassette insertion portion 109. FIG. In this case, the cassette 12R pulled out to a predetermined position by the VTR set 7 is used as a pair of upper and lower chuck arm claws 5.
It can be pulled out by being sandwiched between 8a and 59a.

31 (S1) to (S4) show a procedure for taking out the small-sized cassette 12S from the cassette insertion portion 109. First, the cassette 12S pulled out to a predetermined position by the VTR set 7 is set to a pair of upper and lower chuck arm claws 58a and 59a.
However, in the case of a small size cassette 12s, the amount of protrusion with respect to the front wall 129 cannot be made large,
Grasping of the cassette 12S by the chuck arm claws 58a and 59a becomes shallow, and it is impossible to convey the cassette 12S to another place as it is (S1). Then, the cassette 12S is slightly pulled out by the chuck arm claws 58a and 59a, then re-grasped and deeply gripped (S2) (S3), and then the cassette 12S is completely removed from the cassette insertion portion 109 (S4).

The insertion / removal operation of the cassette 12 by the manipulators 31a, 31b, 31c with respect to the cassette housing portions 6, 16a, 16b is slightly different between the regular size and the small size (see FIG. 19), but the basic operation thereof Are both 30th
This is similar to the case shown in FIGS. (R1) to (R3) and FIGS. 31 (R1) to (R2).

The cassette changing portion 72 of the stationary cassette housing case 6 can be moved in and out even while the main robot 9 is operating, and the slide door 73 is controlled to open and close in conjunction with this.

The flow chart shown in FIG. 32 shows the control means for the cassette change unit and the slide door during normal operation (when the robots are operating cooperatively). Open switch in step # 60
It is determined whether 91p is ON or not, and step # 61,
In # 62, it is determined whether or not the main robot 9 is in the interference area, or whether or not the main robot 9 is in the interference area within a predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes).
It is determined whether 17 is in the interference area.

When the open switch 91p is turned on to take out the unnecessary cassette 12 from the cassette change unit 72 and replenish the new cassette 12, the main robot 9 is not in the interference area and there is no plan to enter it, and If the robot 17 is not in the interference area, in step # 65, after the timer is set, the time obtained by subtracting the safety time from the remaining time until the main robot 9 next enters the interference area is set in step # 65. A series of operations shown from 65 to step # 68 are performed. That is, the movable rack case 74 of the cassette changing section 72 advances from the retracted position B to the intermediate position M as shown in FIG. 10 (step # 66). At the intermediate position M, the tip of the movable rack case 74 is in a state of approaching the back surface of the slide door 73. Then, the slide door 73 is opened (step # 67). When the slide door 73 is completely opened, the movable rack case 74 further advances to reach the forward position F, and a part of the movable rack case 74 goes out of the basic unit box 5 (step # 68). Therefore, the manual cassette 12
Can be replaced safely and easily.

Even if the open switch 91p is turned on, the main robot 9
Is in the interference area, or when it is planned to enter the interference area within a predetermined time, wait for the time until these states are changed (steps # 61, # 62). When the sub-robot 17 is in the interference area, the sub-robot 17 is moved out of the interference area (steps # 63, # 64).

In the next step # 69, it is determined whether or not the close switch 91q is turned on. When it is not turned on, it is judged in step # 70 whether or not the timer is ended, and when it is not ended, the process returns to step # 69. Step # 65
If it is determined that the timer has expired and the timer has expired, the process proceeds to steps # 71 and # 72 and the second
A timer is set (this timer can be used as the second timer) and an alarm is issued to prompt the ON operation of the close switch 91q. If it is determined in step # 73 that the second timer has not expired, then it is determined in step # 74 whether or not the close switch 91q is turned on again. If not, the process returns to step # 73. A predetermined time (eg 20
If the close switch 91q is not turned on even after the elapse of seconds), it is determined in step # 73 that the second timer has ended, and in step # 76, the robot is stopped urgently. On the other hand, if the close switch 91q is turned on by the end of the second timer, step # 7
The alarm is released in step 5, and the process proceeds to step # 77.

In step # 69 or step # 74, close switch
When 91q is turned on, first in step # 77, the movable rack case 74 retracts from the forward position F to the intermediate position M, then in step # 78, the slide door 73 closes, and the slide door 73
When is completely closed, the movable rack case 74 is retracted from the intermediate position M to the retracted position R in step # 79, and is returned to the original state.

The bar code reader 67 reads the bar codes 69 of the cassettes 12 accommodated in the cassette accommodating parts 13, 20 of all the cassette accommodating cases 6, 16a, 16b at the time of initial setting of the apparatus, and the robot controller 8a reads these information. It has a function to send it to the operation station 110 through the and store it there. The bar code reader 67 also has a function of confirming, when the cassette 12 is taken out, whether or not the cassette 12 is the same as the content instructed by the operation station 110.

The bar code reader 67 is attached to the chuck base 54 and is configured to move back and forth integrally with the chuck arms 58 and 59. When the bar code 69 is read, the bar code reader 67 advances by a predetermined distance to move the bar code 69. The reading operation is carried out so that the distance between and becomes constant. Both the regular size cassette 12R and the small size cassette 12S are front side reference F as shown in FIG. 19,
The barcode 69 of the barcode reader 67 can be read accurately and easily.

FIG. 33 shows a state in which the basic unit 1 is used alone to perform the cassette automatic replacement work. In this case, the first timing belt 38 and the second timing belt 40 have a length close to the lateral width of the basic unit 1, and their driven sprockets 130 and 131 are supported by bearing members 132 and 133, respectively.

In the above embodiment, the data of the cassette 12 is displayed by the bar code 69 and the data is read by the bar code reader 67, but other data display and other reading means can be adopted. Is.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, it is possible to smoothly perform automatic cassette exchange even in a state in which both regular size and small size cassettes are mixed, and it is possible to easily and accurately read the data display of the cassette. It is possible to provide an automatic cassette exchange device capable of smoothly inserting and removing the cassette with respect to the information recording / reproducing device.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the principle of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which the exterior portion of each unit is removed. 4 is a perspective view showing the cassette exchange robot and its drive system, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the manipulator, FIG. 6 is its plan view, FIG. 7 is its side view, FIG. 8 is its front view, and FIG. Figure is a perspective view of the cassette change part, Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of it, Figure 11 is a plan view of the drive system of the slide door, Figure 12 is its front view, and Figure 13 is a rack unit of the cassette housing case. FIG. 14, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cassette housing case, FIG. 15 shows a regular size cassette, (a) is its plan view, (b) is its front view, and FIG. 16 is a small size cassette. (A) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and FIG. 17 is a regular size. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the accommodation state of the cassette of the same, FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the accommodation state of the small size cassette, FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the entire apparatus, and FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the control system of the entire apparatus. , Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing the control system of the robot controller, Fig. 22 is a principle diagram showing the movement locus of the main robot, and Fig. 23 is a cassette inserting / removing work with a pair of upper and lower manipulators for the VTR set. Fig. 24 is a principle diagram showing the movement locus of the robot in the cooperative operation of the main robot and the sub robot, Fig. 25 is a principle diagram showing the movement locus of the sub robot, and Fig. 26 is the control of the entire device. Fig. 27 is a flow chart showing the procedure, Fig. 27 is a flow chart showing the control procedure in the cooperative operation of the main robot and the sub robot, and Fig. 28 is a flow chart showing the control procedure of the independent operation of the main robot. 29, FIG. 29 is a flow chart showing the control procedure of the independent operation of the sub robot, and FIG. 30 is a work explanatory view showing the cassette inserting operation by the manipulator for the VTR set.
FIG. 31 is a work explanatory view showing the cassette taking-out operation by the manipulator for the VTR set, FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the cassette changing section, and FIG. 33 is a perspective view when only the basic unit is used. is there. 6, 16a, 16b …… Cassette storage case 7 …… VTR set (information recording / reproducing device) 9, 17 …… Cassette exchange robot 12R …… Regular size cassette 12S …… Small size cassette 13, 20 …… Cassette storage Parts 31a, 31b, 31c …… Manipulator 67 …… Bar code reader (reading means) 69 …… Bar code (data display of cassette) 109 …… Cassette insertion part.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cassette exchanging robot for exchanging cassettes between a cassette accommodating case capable of accommodating cassettes of both regular size and small size and an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording / reproducing cassettes of both sizes. In the cassette automatic exchange device, the manipulator is provided with a means for reading data displayed on the front surface of the cassette accommodated in each cassette accommodating portion of the cassette accommodating case, and a means for inserting / removing the cassette, The space of the cassette housing is formed to a size suitable for accommodating a regular size cassette, and a small size cassette is formed with an extra space. Stored in the cassette housing part of the cassette housing case by side reference Write a cassette autochanger for characterized in that a control unit for controlling the manipulator to accommodate the cassette insertion portion of the information recording and reproducing apparatus in the insertion direction front side reference. 2. The cassette automatic changing device according to claim 1, wherein the cassette housing portion of the cassette housing case is provided with a position regulating means for housing a small size cassette as a reference.